Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu
Credit: PTI Photo
Visakhapatnam: Returning to power on the promise of restoring Andhra Pradesh's economic glory, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is pulling out all stops to recreate for the state the transformative growth he once delivered in Hyderabad.
Since returning to power in May last year, Naidu has launched an aggressive, image-driven push to market what his team now calls "Brand Naidu' - a leadership-centric pitch aimed at restoring investor confidence and accelerating capital flows into the state to not just boost its economy but also create jobs.
From Google to Ambani and Adani, a slate of global and Indian majors has already lined up a record USD 150 billion in investment commitments.
In an interview with PTI, Naidu touted how, in just 18 months, he has managed to pull USD 20 billion of investments across a range of sectors and, in the past two days, signed MoUs for more than Rs 11 lakh crore (about USD 132 billion) of investment commitments at the Andhra Pradesh Investment Summit here.
"Different politicians will produce different models. Hyderabad is a model (I created)...all the infrastructure, knowledge economy, everything I have done. Today, it is the most livable city," he said, reeling out numbers on the city being amongst the ones with the highest per capita income in the country and boosting an economy that has 60 per cent contribution coming from services.
After the bifurcation of the state, Hyderabad went to Telangana. Naidu is now looking to replicate the success of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, but at a much faster pace and several times higher.
The state is not just focusing on technology sectors - data centres to drone hub - but also traditional brick and motor industries, such as steel plants and oil refineries, to create a ripple effect, pulling the newest state into the top league.
Asked why investors should look at investing in Andhra Pradesh, he said for a simple reason - the brand.
"One is brand," he said. Investors should look at Brand Naidu, and what it promises and what it delivers.
"Brand is created by individuals. Ultimately, that brand will be for (the benefit) of the state or the country," he pointed out.
Also, Andhra Pradesh has all the advantages - fertile land, very, very intelligent people, a sea coast of more than 1,000 kilometres, a manufacturing hub and a knowledge economy, the chief minister noted.
In a state still rebuilding after years of economic stagnation, Naidu is positioning himself as the differentiator: a tech-savvy, investment-friendly administrator with a track record of turning ideas into infrastructure.
And this branding is not just for political optics - it is a strategic attempt to reassure global and domestic investors that Andhra Pradesh once again has a stable, predictable, and business-first government, he said.
Naidu, with assistance from his young and energetic son Nara Lokesh, has revived his trademark: high-octane investment diplomacy, direct calls to CEOs, targeted meetings at global summits, and curated presentations, highlighting Andhra Pradesh's ports, industrial corridors, and IT talent pool. The messaging is designed to project efficiency and leadership continuity - areas where investors have sought reassurance.
Google last month announced a USD 15 billion investment in an AI data centre in Visakhapatnam linked to new energy sources and a fibre-optic network. Business tycoon Gautam Adani's company AdaniConneX would partner with Google on the project, along with Bharti Airtel, the country's No. 2 wireless carrier.
Reliance Industries too plans to set up a 1-gigawatt AI data centre in the state, while ArcelorMittal has announced plans to invest Rs 1.4 lakh crore to build India's largest greenfield steel plant in Anakapalli. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) is setting up a Rs 95,000 crore refinery in the state.
Over the past two days, some of the major investment commitments included USD 12 billion by Brookfield in a clean energy-powered 3 GW data centre, Rs 60,000 crore commitment by ReNew in solar ingot and wafer manufacturing, green ammonia plant, pumped hydro project and renewable energy power plant and Rs 54,000 crore by AM Green in an array of projects.
Naidu is targeting an economic growth of 15 per cent for the state and looking to attract USD 1 trillion over the next 10 years.
Asked how he would like to be remembered by future generations, Naidu said he has always thought ahead of time so that future generations benefit.
In the mid-1990s, no one spoke about IT, and that it could be the backbone of the knowledge economy, the chief minister said, adding that he visualised the importance and turned Hyderabad, the capital of united Andhra Pradesh, into a tech magnate.
"That is my contribution," he said.
Added to that were never thought of reforms in the power sector, which made Andhra Pradesh into an electricity surplus state, and in infrastructure, recognising the need for creating a backbone that could sustain high growth and create jobs.
"What you contribute, that will be permanent," he said. "I took very hard decisions... (like) power sector reforms. I lost elections (soon after), that is another matter. But nobody ventured where I went. From power shortages, we became power surplus." On his election loss, he said that sometimes it is not possible to convince people about the policies immediately, but the permanent contribution they make is for everyone to see.
To investors, Naidu is offering technology-driven governance, including ambitions for smart cities and digital services, proactive policy frameworks with single-window clearances, infrastructure-first development particularly around ports, logistics and energy, and quick decision-making.